Rocker horse



Sept; 9, 1941. I B. GORDON 2,255,160

ROCKER HORSE 7 Filed Jan. 15, 1941 evyamim Gordom Z W 7. v I (Itt Y en Patented Sept. 9, 1941 ROCKER HQRSE Benjamin Gordon, Philadelphia, Pa. Application January15, 1941, Serial No. 374,565

' 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in toys, the specific character of it being a rockerhorse which is primarily intended for young children although not necessarily confined to their use.

In devising a toy of this kind it is a matter of important consideration to make the toy as safe as possible, especially when contrived for young children as stated, it being essential to guard against its tipping over either forwardly or backwardly with the child who, through exuberance in riding, is apt to pitch too far in either of the two directions.

Another consideration required to be met by a toy of this kind is to build into it a fairly high factor of safety from the structural standpoint but at the same time have due regard for the maintenance of a light construction so that the toy is readily portable by a young child for whom it is mainly intended. With this premise in mind the objects of the invention are as follow:

First, to provide a rockerhorse of a simple and light construction as well as of a fairly diminutive size, so as to be readily portable by a young child for whose use the toy is primarily intended.

Second, to provide a toy of the character stated, employing a single, broad, curved base plate as the sole rocker, and permanently maintaining the curvature of said plate by the afiixation to its ends of a single board serving both as an anchoring spanner and a seat for the occupant.

Third, to provide a non-tipping rockerhorse in which the non-tipping function is achieved by extending the ends of the board outside of the line of curvature of the rocker to act as stops against the floor when the toy is rocked excessively far either forward or backward.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved rockerhorse.

Figure 2 is a partially elevational and sectional view of the rockerhorse, illustrating structural details to which reference is presently made.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the stop action of the seat board extensions.

In carrying out the invention, the rockerhorse, generally indicated l, is shown to 'comprise 'a rocker 2 which is intended to ride directly on the floor. This rocker is ordinarily made of a single metal plate to which a curvature may or may not be initially imparted. The ends 3 of the rocker comprise flanges through which securement is made. A distinguishing feature of the rocker 2 is that it consists of a broad plate. Ordinarily this plate is about six inches wide, this particular dimension providing an adequate lateral bearing so that the toy will not fall over sidewise with its occupant under ordinary conditions of use.

A single board 4 provides the seat for the occupant. This board is generally a little broader than the rocker 2 although the relative breadths of the rocker and seat do not involve any rigid requirements. The seat board 4 spans the distance between the ends 3 of the rocker, said board serving as an anchorage for thefastening means 5, 6. These respective means consist of a fairly long bolt and a lag screw. They go through single holes situated centrally of the width of the flanges 3, and then through holes in the board 4.

Now if the rocker-Zis'stamped out with an initial degree of curvature needs only to be drawn together su-i'h cie w the driving through of the two fastening means 5, 6. The same would be true if the rocker is chosen not to be made with an initial degree of curvature. The curvature can be imparted thereto in making the assemblage. All that it requires under that circumstance is merely to drive home one of the two fastening means so as to anchor the respective end of the rocker, and then bow the latter until the flange at the other end arrives at the position whereat the remaining fastening means can be inserted in the then registering holes.

A back rest I is affixed at an angle to the seat 4. One or more screws 8 driven from the netherside of the seat into the bottom end of the rest I accomplish part of the purpose. But considerable reliance is put upon the bracing function of the bolt 5. This, as was stated, is fairly long; in fact long enough to reach from the top end of the rest to a place beneath the seat 4. The head 9 is desirably recessed in the top end of the rest 1, whence the shank of the bolt occupies an aperture going through the rest at an angle and coming out at the back. The bolt is threaded farenough up to take a pair of nuts H], II, the first serving as an abutment and the other a clamp with which to drive the respective flange 3 hard against the board 4.

At the other and front end of the rockerhorse the screw 6 is driven into an ornamental head l2, said screw being of a sufiicient dimension to prevent the head from tilting to either side.

This head is kept from turning on the screw '6 by its seating in a groove l3 on the top side ends I8 of the seat board 4.

of the seat board at the front end as shown in Fig. l. The head I2 is cut out of an ordinary board and, consequently, is narrow in comparison to the board seat 4. This circumstance provides a pair of ledges I4 at each side of the head on which the rider can rest his legs during the rocking motion. The head is also equipped with a bar [5 which goes crosswise thereof. The entire head and bar are herein considered as an upstanding hand-hold by which the occupant may steady himself during rocking.

The operation is readily understood. The rider seats himself upon the board 4 and usually, although not always, reclines against the back rest I. By an appropriate swaying motion of the body in the front to back direction the rocking action of the toy is started. The upstanding hand-hold must be gripped in order to work said motion up to a fair velocity. When that point is arrived at the rider may rest his legs on the ledges id, but in the event that the rocking motion becomes excessive it is then that an important function of the construction comes into play.

It is observed in Fig. 2 that the fastenings 5, 6 are made at an appreciable distance from the In other. words, said ends l6 comprise projecting portions beyond the ends of the rocker 2. Being such, they also consist of extensions beyond and outside of the line of curvature of the rocker. These extensions have the important eflect of acting as stops as at a and b (Fig. 3) when the rocking motion is carried excessively in either direction. This relationship of the extending ends I6 to the rocker 2 constitutes a safety measure which guards against pitching the occupant either forwardly or backwardly because in ordinary use it is virtually impossible to tilt the rocker-horse over.

I claim:

A toy comprising a single broad metal rocker adapted to rest directly upon a floor, the opposite ends of the rocker being provided with outturned flanges lying in the same horizontal plane, a single board forming a seat and resting on the flanges, a back rest extending upwardly from the seat, at an acute angle thereto and adjacent one end of said seat, one end of said seat, the upper free end of the back rest and an adjacent flange being each provided with a passage, a bolt received by the passages, means on the bolt for clamping the flange to the seat and for supporting the back rest in position, a hand-hold on the other end of the seat and means securing the hand-hold and other flange simultaneously to the seat.

BENJAMIN GORDON. 

